Not What You Expected
by Freeze Dried Strawberries
Summary: The Titans spend their first Christmas together! Will Gar ever find the balls to ask Rachel out? What unexpected relationships will bloom? Full of friendship, romance, and especially laughs with BB/Rae and some Rob/Star. Rated T for infrequent swearing. Please review, I love to hear from you! CHAPTER 6 HAS BEEN POSTED.
1. Chapter 1

It was six in the morning and Jump City was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Delicate patterns of frost decorated the windows, giving off a calm and peaceful aura.

A loud screech pierced the silence, followed by a series of faint thumps, and pedestrians on the streets turned their heads towards Titans Tower…

CRASH!

"Gar… get down here…!"

Hearing his name, the depleted changeling trudged down the stairs and met his leader with bleary eyes. "What… what's happening…?"

Richard Grayson whipped around and faced his comrade. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Confused and still half asleep, Garfield Logan leaned to the side, glimpsed a scene of absolute chaos, and snorted. "Seriously? You couldn't wait…" He checked his watch. "… forty-two minutes?"

Richard turned a deep shade of scarlet. "N-no, that's not what happened-" The left door to the coat closet creaked wide open, revealing a mound of fallen parcels, covered in assorted colors and designs of wrapping paper.

A feminine voice from the doorway startled the boys. "What is the problem?"

Both of them turned. "Oh, it's just you… sorry if our Boy Blunder here woke you up."

"It is all right, but…" Kori Anders, known as Starfire or Koriand'r to others, stood behind her fellow Titans. "Why are there many packages behind you? Is that- oh!" Kori darted over to the heap of gifts and pulled out a small square box, wrapped in a shiny metallic magenta paper and slightly disheveled. "This is my present to our dear friend Cyborg… why was it on the floor?"

"U-uh, sorry about that Star. I hope nothing's wrong with it?" Robin stammered.

Kori lifted the lid of the box and peeked inside. "It is, as the teenager humans say, 'all good'!"

Victor Stone was next to join the others, clad in a white T-shirt and pajama pants with blue robots on them. "What's all the noise about- hey, are those presents?!" He ran to the piles of gifts like a small child and began to rummage through them. "Hm hm hm… I see somebody remembered what I wanted for my favorite day of the year!..." The half-android fished a flat rectangular shaped package out of the pile, but was stopped from opening it when Richard slapped his human arm.

"Heyyy…" whined a disappointed Victor, reaching for his gift.

"Sorry Cy, but we gotta wait for-" Richard started to say.

"But I want my present!" Victor flailed around. "Gimme gimme gimmeee!"

"Nooo… I said NO!"

"Am I interrupting something?" Everybody turned towards the source of the risque voice and saw Rachel Roth hovering over Beast Boy's head.

She had her cloak wrapped tightly around her and her hood was pulled up to shield her face.

"Oh… hey Rae!" Garfield greeted the antagonistic sorceress.

Rachel deadpanned. "Hey… what's going on…"

The other Titans all pointed to their leader. "It's his fault! He totally messed my secret present hiding spot up!" Garfield whined.

"Now, now, small child. There's plenty of blame to go around." Rachel rolled her eyes and sat cross-legged down on the carpet.

Kori smiled pleasantly. "I agree! It is the day of Christmas, after all… let us enjoy the ceremony of opening the presents in front of everybody to view!"

At this sentence Rachel tugged her hood down even further, hiding a deep red blush on her alabaster skin. The other Titans did not acknowledge it, all choosing instead to dig deep into the mound of presents, hoping to find one labeled with their name.

"Okay, here's how this is gonna work." Victor explained. "I'm gonna take one present outta the pile at a time, and I'll read who it's from and who it's for. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah, get on with it." Garfield teased, lazily draped over the L-shaped sofa.

Victor ignored him and pulled a gigantic parcel out of the pile, wrapped in red paper with green and yellow stripes. "Now I wonder what this could be!… 'To Star, from Traffic Light…'" He ad-libbed, tossing the parcel at Kori's head, who caught it eagerly and began ripping the paper off.

"Oh, how marvelous!" The excited alien held up a pink stuffed teddy bear that was almost as large as she was. "Thank you so very much!"

Richard blubbered, "Oh, it was, um, no problem, Star, I hope you enjoy your, uh, present."

Victor was already choosing the next gift. "Let's see… 'To friend Cyborg, from

"Really now?" Victor perked up. "Ooh…" He had tugged the metallic pink paper off to reveal a brand new set of three discs: Mega Monkeys 1, 2, and 3. "Thanks, Star!"

"Oh, it was nothing!" Kori beamed.

"Who's next?" Garfield playfully shoved his friend out of the way and selected the next package, which was wrapped in a dark green foil. "Hey, this one's for me!... oh. How'd this get in here?!"

The other Titans turned at the sound of Garfield's shocked voice. "What is it, Gar?" Richard questioned.

Whipping the box behind his back, Garfield blushed profusely. "Oh, uh, it's nothing really… actually, it's sorta personal…" he mumbled, kicking the floor with the toe of his foot.

The other Titans all sweatdropped. "O-okay then, we'll let you deliver that one yourself…"

As Garfield was stepping into the elevator, Rachel stood up. "I have some things that I would also prefer delivering in private." She took a medium-sized parcel and a small box, both covered in black paper, from the pile of presents and joined Garfield in the elevator.

The doors slid closed as the other Titans exchanged glances. Finally, Victor broke the silence. "What is this, Secret Santa?"

The two Titans stood in the elevator, both silent and not wanting to meet each other's eyes. Suddenly, Garfield spun around to face Rachel, holding his present in front of him.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I-it's for y-you!… I-I want you t-to have it…" Garfield stuttered.

Feeling some pity for this brief and quite pathetic speech, the enchantress accepted the gift and sat down cross-legged on the elevator carpet. Titans Tower was the tallest structure in Jump City, and as Victor had neglected to repair the elevator to the top floor, Garfield had at least five minutes to make his move.

"U-uh… I…"

Rachel paused before opening her present, then picked up her packages and placed them in Garfield's empty hands. "These are yours." she stated bluntly.

"Oh!… Thanks, Rae- I mean, Rachel!… sorry-"

"It's fine. I admit I have grown attached to that nickname." she replied, lifting a corner of the green paper and tearing some of it off. Garfield quickly looked away, face bright red, as Rachel pulled out a dark purple book. Flipping the cover, she silently read a note in the corner of the first page:

Rachel-

After almost ten years, I've fallen more and more in love with you. Please think of me whenever you read this book- it's one of my favorites.

Merry Christmas,

Gar

Rachel reddened as she turned back to the cover of the book, which read "Edgar Allen Poe's Greatest Poems and Literature".

Garfield glanced in Rachel's direction, she had flipped to the first page of 'The Tell-tale Heart' and had automatically began reading, her eyes darting from one paragraph to the next. He had been joking when he wrote that it was one of his favorite books; he couldn't get past the first few sentences without having to go fetch a dictionary.

He examined the packages in his hand, deciding whether to open the big one or the small one first. After careful consideration, he tucked the small box in his pocket and began ripping the paper off the bigger one.

Rachel ended up with a small mountain of black paper shreds on her head, in her lap, and between the pages of her new book; while Garfield held a simple black sketchbook with an intricately embroidered front and back cover. He turned the cover to reveal a detailed picture… of himself.

Stunned, he continued flipping the pages, only to see more sketches of himself. He was with the other Titans in some of them, but mostly alone on each page. He was soon at the end of the book, with only one more page to go. Saddened, he flipped the paper over and saw a sentence in neat cursive at the bottom of the page. Bringing it close to his face, he read:

I love you.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow… five reviews! I've never gotten any reviews before… thank you so much! I'm easily impressed… I apologize, this will most likely be a brief chapter because I'm writing this at 10:02 PM and my dad keeps yelling at me to stop from the kitchen… ;-;

But first! Many thanks to Crow The Mad, Starjammerblue, and xXLeolaXx for those wonderfully positive comments ^_^ I really appreciate it!

And to both CleoArrow and shadowjack12345, I'm really not sure what's in the smaller box yet… hopefully something good! We'll probably see in this chapter, ah ha ha…

I apologize for the lack of disclaimer in the last chapter. Here I go:

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I'm not old enough to own Teen Titans… so… yea… ;-;

Onwards!

DING.

The doors to the elevator slid open, and Garfield stumbled out, followed by Rachel, who clutched her precious book to her chest.

She likes me! She likes me! Garfield's heart thumped. No- oh snap- she LOVES ME! What now, Jump City?! What now?!

He… he fell in love… with me. Rachel's emotions were frantically running around and bumping into each other in the corners of her mind. Oh no… the note in his sketchbook… is it still there? "Yes, yes it is!" squealed a delirious pink-cloaked Happy. "I knew it." Knowledge stated. "Of course you did, didn't you." added Rude.

Lost in thought, Rachel took another step and accidentally slipped on a remnant of black wrapping paper from Garfield's sketchbook, losing her balance. Hearing a small yelp, the changeling looked up only to see his object of romantic desire fall down the staircase.

"No!… Rachel!" Garfield's heart screamed as the world went into slow motion. He watched as Rachel's hair swung around her head, the fluorescent lights from the chandelier above creating an angelic aura around her slender, curvy figure. Wow… keep that pose will you, while I go fetch a camera-

Augh! Garfield slapped a hand over his mouth, forgetting that his thoughts had nothing to do with it. Are you insane? Your dream girl is falling down a flight of stairs, what're you gonna do about it?! NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I am positively disgusted-

"Wha-!" Snapping out of his internal lecture, Garfield jumped to the head of the stairs and peered over the railing, afraid of what he might see.

"Careful up there, BB! Were you and Rae roughhousing up there, now?" Victor jokingly called up to his friend. "Our little Rae almost snapped in two-"

"Oh my god! Are you okay, Rachel?!" Garfield took the stairs four at a time and hurried to Rachel's side. "Did you break anything? Is that a… is that a BRUISE on your HEAD?!"

Rachel stifled a string of laughter. He's so funny… "I'm fine…" she deadpanned, running a hand through her silky violet hair. "I delivered my presents, can we get something to eat? I'm famished."

At the mention of presents, Garfield remembered the small black box that had also been given to him by Rachel. "Um, er… be right back!" He climbed up the staircase again using both his hands and his feet, bottom sticking up into the air, to much amusement from Rachel, who watched from the entrance to the kitchen.

"So! How do chocolate chip pancakes sound?" Victor marched into the kitchen and started to grab various items from the shelves. "Hmm, hmm… sounds good to me…" he said to himself.

Rachel just looked up at the chandelier and sighed.

Garfield fiddled with the black ribbon attached to the box. He hadn't gotten the chance to open it yet, as Starfire and Robin interrupted him right before he tore off the lid in pure anxiety.

I'm going crazy, he thought. What if it's something bad, like a rejection note or something that says 'Sorry about the random note on the last page of your present, wrong person, LOL'?!

Garfield couldn't take the suspense. Snatching the gift, he quickly unraveled the ribbon, not wanting to damage anything given to him from his infatuation, and peeked inside.

To his surprise, there was nothing inside the box. Garfield almost cried out in total frustration. Was it a simple mistake, or… could it be a joke? No… impossible. As far as he knew, Rachel didn't even know what a joke was… Tilting the box to the side, he heard a faint crinkling noise coming from the box.

Thrilled, he looked back inside the box and saw a folded slip of lavender paper, taped neatly to the side of the container. Almost ripping the paper in the process of retrieving it, he clumsily unfolded it and read:

Roof. 12:00.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone ^^

So! Many thanks to everybody who reviewed, including:

Just an fyi: Thanks for the heads-up! I knew that, but I decided to use 'Rachel Roth' since it's her most-known alternative name.

Bluedog197: Thanks so much!

Crow The Mad: Glad you like it!

SurferDragon754: Me too... lol :3

Kateland Rose: I'm trying to update whenever I can, I'm so sorry! Unfortunately as I am in my freshman year at a 'Blue Ribbon School' or whatever, my parents put a lot of pressure on me and rarely even let me use the computer on the weekends ;-; I'll try though... X_X

lunarsilver: Thanks! This is the most reviews I've ever gotten so far, and one of the reviews told me to stop 'begging for reviews' O_o If that's what I sounded like, I'm so sorry! I just really wanted some positive and constructive criticism... I apologize if I was annoying to anybody...

Skycatcher: Following on lunarsilver's note, I again apologize. I will try to make it more visual for you as well, although in most stories I read with 'imagery and vivid detail' I usually end up skipping to see what happens next... O_o

Sharpclaws: You'll find out what's in the small present at the very end of Chapter Two. Sorry if you missed it, I guess it was sort of brief?

And of course, thank you to everybody who reviewed in the previous chapters!

I am writing this on Monday night, and if you take a look at my response to Kateland Rose's review, you will see that I can only update during the weekends... (cry). I'm so sorry, hopefully you guys can wait until Saturday... I mean, grades are dominant above all in the eyes of my High-Expectations Asian Father V_V

Bai for now,

Ryo-chan


	4. Chapter 4

A chapter you've all been waiting for. If you're wondering why the bejesus this chapter is so terrible... sorry about that...

I'm just really freaked out because I'm home alone right now and I just heard somebody laugh, upstairs! REALLY LOUD!

I'M NOT PULLING YOUR LEG!

And, and, and... uh... I value my life too much to go up there and check it out and I'm in a dark closet right now typing for my liiiiifffffeeeee! Aaah!

BTW, for all of you that were asking "WTF IS IN THE SMALLER BOX?!" I'm replaying the last few sentences from Chapter Three (previous chappie) right down there... below... oop, you missed it... yeah, right there. So yeah.

Disclaimer: I really don't own anything mentioned in this story... except for the plotline... sooo.

* * *

Tilting the box to the side, he heard a faint crinkling noise coming from the box.

Thrilled, he looked back inside the box and saw a folded slip of lavender paper, taped neatly to the side of the container. Ripping the paper out of the box and almost destroying his newly found prize in the process of retrieving it, he clumsily unfolded it.

Roof. 12:00.

* * *

It was 11:30. Rachel poked her head out of her doorway and whipped her head from side to side; checking for Richard who, previously being an apprentice to the famed Batman, always turned in late after hours of researching Slade; or Cyborg, who often tiptoed (or at least, TRIED to tiptoe) down the hallways searching for a midnight TV/Nintendo buddy or something tasty to eat.

Concluding that it was safe to come out, the nervous empath floated into the corridor, making absolutely no sound at all. Gar would be proud of her ninja-like stealth. She turned a corner and saw the person she was hoping the most to avoid. Caught off-guard, she spun back around and hit the wall with the back of her foot, her ankle twisting into an unnatural position. "Shit!" Rachel swore, then clamped both hands over her mouth,

Kori Anders skipped down the adjacent hallway, cradling her pet Silkie in her tanned arms. "I hope you will not eat so many Gorka berries next time, naughty Silkie!" she scolded the baby larva. "Just because I leave the catch-an does not mean you can deplete us of ALL THAT IS BLARWAG and good in Tameran! You are a bad, BAD TRAFLAN!" Kori was making quite a commotion out of the simple process of "talking during sleeping hours".

Leaning against the wall and supporting her now-injured ankle, Rachel cringed with the emphasis to each word. It was so... so loud. Rachel could barely make out half of what Kori was saying, but she definitely knew that the alien had most likely awoken half of the tower already. She tilted her head backward and inhaled, her flat stomach pressing farther into the wall. Her eyes were wide and alert as she melted into the shadows, with only the edge of her cloak showing. "Can't let her see you, can't let her see you..." Knowledge warned._  
_

Why Starfire? Not to be offensive, but she was the most enthusiastic, innocent, and most of all, LOUD Titan in the tower! "What happens if she does see me?" Rachel questioned herself. Lazy, her most blunt and painfully straight-forward emotion, took a moment from her nap to pipe up.

"Well, then you'll be in for a rather uncomfortable interview with the resident Tameranean, which would most definitely lead to an over-excited media, hundreds of embarrassing, private and personal questions from the press, and soon after, loads of tabloids with our face on the cover."

Happy squealed. "Yaaaaayyyyy! We'll be FAMOUS!" She obviously could not comprehend the situation. "I CAN SEE THE HEADLINES NOW: FORMER TITAN RACHEL ROTH'S LOVE AFFAIR! OR MAYBE, UH... OOH! I KNOW!"

"Shut... your... mouth hole..." Angry hissed.

Lazy meandered back in. "Girl... you're in some deep shit here..."

Rachel mentally rolled her eyes. It was just Kori, walking down the hallway. Nothing to worry about except for a possibly sprained ankle.

Right?

* * *

Garfield eyed himself in the cracked glass of his mirror.

Why did Rachel choose him, of all boys? She could pick any guy she wanted, not entirely because of her status as a Titan... "I mean, her appearance, feelings, personality! I love every bit of her!" he exclaimed aloud, as if his mirror wanted to pick a fight.

"Don't you look at me like that!" He hit the mirror with the back of his hand, creating another spiderweb of cracks in the corner of the glass. The changeling was anxious about his upcoming meeting with Rachel, but what scared the shit out of him was the possibility that he wouldn't be good enough for her. "Aqualad, Speedy, Robin even." he protested.

But why him? What was so good about him? There isn't anything particularly handsome about me, let alone ATTRACTIVE, about ME, Garfield mulled. He had lately grown out of his immature and rowdy stage and slightly matured- he was more philosophical about things now. He thought more before he did or said something, which was why...

HEY. WAIT JUST ONE FRICKETY FREAKING MOMENT. Maybe Rachel liked him because he was becoming a MAN. A GENTLEMAN, to be exact. At least, that's what popped into Garfield's mind, and meditating on the idea, he quickly convinced himself that was the case. After all, she was always pointing out that he was the first one to call "shotgun" on the way back to the T-car, whereas nowadays...

When was the last time the team rode in the T-car, anyways? Garfield thought until he remembered last Saturday, when he and Vic had invited the girls to Quick N' Easy, Hot N' Cheesy (Robin refused to come because he was in the middle of examining a remnant of Slade's armor; Garfield and Victor were laughing over that in the T-car). Despite the wordy and, quite frankly, stupid name, Kori immediately jumped into the backseat and started to sing the restaurant's theme song like a little kid.

Ah, yes, Garfield recalled. Being the gentlemanly gentleman of gentlemen that he aspired (Garfield loved using that word) to be, he had opened the front door and politely ushered Raven into the front seat. The front seat. With a better position in which to hang oneself on the heater and blow one's hair as if in a shampoo commercial. Don't forget the seat heaters. And automatic food dispenser. And, yes, that seemed very gentlemanly to him...

Garfield suddenly snapped out of his memory and returned his attention to his reflection, which he had been examining. He started from the bottom and worked his way up: old purple sneakers with one lace undone- he'd have to fix that later- unhemmed cutoffs in a dark shade of blue; a T-shirt he had won in darts at the annual Jump City Autumn Festival, which, he noticed, had a ketchup stain on the left shoulder... His eyes moved further up, then dropped back down to the reflected clock on his wall.

BACKWARDS 9, BACKWARDS 5, AND TWO ONES?! Garfield quickly corrected himself. "I mean..." he said aloud, turning around. "11:59?!" Pulling his dirty shirt off, he scampered back and forth across his room trying to beautify his sleepwear. Finally giving up because of lack of time, he chose a black button-up shirt and ran out of the doorway, pulling the shirt on at the same time and leaving his dresser drawers wide open. "WHY THE HELL DID I CHANGE INTO PAJAMAS TO BEGIN WITH?!" the shape-shifter nearly shouted, still racing down the corridor.

He prepared to make a wide turn, but suddenly stopped short. "Whew, I almost forgot!" Turning around, he sped back to his room and furiously punched a simple code into the keypad. The steel door smoothly slid open with a soft whoosh! allowing the changeling entrance to his bedroom. He went straight to his desk and pawed through the heap of junk on the surface. "Where is it, where is it?!"

After a few minutes of frantically searching through the contents on the desk, he finally located what he had been so desperately looking for. Jamming the item into his jacket, he hustled through the doorway, morphed into a green cheetah, and was gone.

* * *

Rachel flinched as Kori stepped into the corridor and walked directly towards her. The Azarathian froze in place and prayed to Azar that the alien wouldn't notice, or at least acknowledge, her presence.

Surprisingly, Kori skipped right past the patch of shadows in which Rachel was concealed, and continued down the hallway.

* * *

Aaaaannnnnddddd I think that's all for today! I know I haven't updated since, what September? Yes I know.

Please don't kill me.

Chuu~ Ryo


	5. Chapter 5

Aah... you can't beat a nice bag of crisp, red, freeze-dried strawberries.

Yeah. If I had a lifetime supply of freeze-dried strawberries, I would be set... for life...

... \[._.]/

But you know how _expensive_ those things are?!

Disclaimer: Are you like brain-dead or what? This is like the _fourth_ time.

* * *

Rachel had barely made it up the steep stairs to the rooftop before she collapsed in a heap. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she gently prodded her ankle, testing for serious injury. _Great. This is just fabulous. Of all days, _this_ is the one day I forget my comm..._

* * *

Garfield was starting to get frustrated. "Um, Star, I actually gotta get going..." he coughed.

"Oh! I am most sorry, Garfield!" Kori exclaimed, twisting a lock of auburn hair on her forefinger. "I did not intend to keep you from... ah, exactly where would you be going at such a late hour?"

_Man, I really don't like Tameranean curiosity._

"Perhaps you are visiting the room of relief?"

"Room of relief?..." He hoped it wasn't anything embarrassing or sexual. "Uh... sure."

"Most glorious!" Kori declared. "I must be leaving now, for my darling bumgorf needs his rest! But I hope to enjoy several more of the 'chats' and further conversate with you in snarf long increments, especially during the hour of the Hunwogs!" The friendly alien retrieved Silkie, who had been slowly inching down the darkened hallway, and continued to her bedroom.

When he was sure Kori had retreated into her bedroom, Garfield opened his jacket and checked to make sure he was still equipped with his one item (A/N: I can't tell you what it is right now, but if you're wondering, it's the one he almost left in his bedroom ^_^)

He slumped over in relief. Speaking of relief, there was evidently some sort of room dedicated to relief in the Tower. He would have to ask Victor about that later, since he was totally running late...

Exactly how late was he?

* * *

It was 12:45. Technically, Garfield was three-quarters of an hour tardy, but to Rachel it seemed like she had been waiting for eternities. She shivered and pulled her unscathed knee closer, hoping for more warmth. The frigid cold gave Rachel the sensation of being stuck inside a refrigerator, which she had once experienced for a period of ten minutes when Richard had accidentally trapped her inside of his bedroom.

Rachel scowled slightly, recalling the event. He had been in a phase where all he could think about was surviving different emergencies. Determined to fulfill his training protocol, he began with an Arctic scenario and requested that Victor install an advanced temperature system inside of his room. Rachel had glided into the room to ask him about the next day's training, when the steel door suddenly slid closed behind her, causing her to stumble backwards and hit her head on a strange-looking blue switch.

She later found out that it had been the "emergency-freeze-freeze-freeze-your-ass-off-frigg in'-freezing-button-thingy-ma-jigger", as Garfield referred to it. Just thinking about her beloved Gar brought a smile to her face and sent a warm tingle all over her body.

This lovely feeling was instantly replaced with the realization that she was trapped on the rooftop of the Tower, with no food, water, or means of communication.

"He could have missed the note," intoned Knowledge, "after all, your penmanship is quite minuscule."

"She's right." Angry grudgingly agreed.

"Oh, AZAR!" Passion staggered into the picture, a perfectly manicured hand clasped across her protruding chest, which wasn't very well covered by the loose sorbet-colored robe she donned. "The green hunk's forgotten about us! He's completely ABANDONED US!" She draped herself over a protesting Timid and swooned dramatically, her bright pink cloak flapping into Rude's face.

"Hey, watch it, SISTER!" sputtered Rude. She ducked to the left, avoiding a flailing leg and snarled, "What are you trying to do, bitch? Kill Timid?" The mentioned emotion was quivering underneath a sprawled-out Passion.

_Some date Gar would make, leaving a girl up here... _was Rachel's last thought as she fell into the swimming opal sea of darkness that was unconsciousness.

* * *

Garfield climbed the last flight of stairs and stepped out onto the roof. The cold winds temporarily shocked him, and his previously combed hair was ruffled by the merciless breeze. He looked around, baffled. ""Didn't it say 12:00? It did, right?" he asked himself, scratching his head and further destroying his carefully groomed head of hair. Had his infrequent punctuality lost him his dream girl?

A strong gust of wind shook the Tower, and the heavy metal door to the rooftop slammed shut with a loud _BANG_! Startled, Garfield jumped around and spotted a figure crumpled against the iron-wrought railings.

"Rachel?!" He ran to the fallen Titan's side and laid his hand across her forehead. _Maybe she was sick_? Finding no signs of illness, he desperately pressed a finger against her slender wrist, but was again unsuccessful.

_Has it come to the impossible_? Garfield thought to himself. Finally coming to a decision, he timidly placed a shaking hand on her left breast. Resisting certain impulses that all teenage boys feel, he held it there for five seconds. _Come on..._

Finally, he located a faint pulse. "It's gonna be okay Rae, it's gonna be okay." Gar promised the unresponsive Rachel as he pulled her arms over his shoulders and hefted her onto his muscular back. She was surprisingly light and couldn't have weighed much more than the rubber chicken, reminiscent of a painted punching bag, that he had won for here at the dreaded Jump City festival.

Shifting his weight, he found that he could easily support her. The changeling felt her round breasts against his shoulder blades and blushed profusely. _Thank god she's unconscious_.

Yanking the door upon, he made it down three of the four flights of stairs before stopping to catch his breath. Leaning one hand on the wall, he panted heavily. _Ten second rest break and you're off again_, Gar told himself stubbornly.

Unfortunately, Rachel started to slide off in the middle of the sixth second. "Shit." Garfield hissed, leaning forward and trying to pull her back up again. He glimpsed the dangerously-close descending staircase and knew that if he let go to adjust his grip, he would fall and hurt himself... or Rachel.

"Ungh!..." _This is seriously going on my record._ Garfield reversed his position until he had Rachel backed up against the opposite wall, farthest from the staircase. Her pale, limp arms hung over his shoulders, and her knees were locked firmly around his; her violet hair, which had grown alarmingly fast in six months, reached the small of her back and was currently wrapped around his right bicep.

It was truly the most embarrassing positioning of all time, and he was positive that if one of the other Titans caught him, neither he nor Rachel would EVER hear the end of it. _Gotta hurry, gotta hurry..._

"BB? Is that you?"

_Shit, shit, SHIT!_

* * *

Laugh. Out. Loud. I am cracking up right now. I just wrote this as I went along, and this seems like a wonderful climaxy-type place to hang off ^_^

**_"Either you love me or you hate me. No matter what, you fuckers still know my_** **_name_."_ Anonymous_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sooo... how you like? (O v O)**

**I'm not sure what's going to happen next myself, but it should be fabu~ yeah?**

**And BTW, the mentioned "room of relief" that Starfire was inquiring about... if you couldn't figure it out (which I highly doubt, because you guys are obviously cray-cray geniuses)... it was the restroom. LOL... get it?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, I would be rich and I could buy all of the freeze-dried strawberries in the world... X_X**

* * *

_Why did this have to happen to me_, Garfield silently moaned as Victor Stone began to ascend the staircase, a blue bathrobe over his metallic frame. _Quick! Gotta, gotta... um..._

Well, Victor was his best friend, and best friends respected each other's privacy. Right? _So all I have to do is make him think I want to be alone. Like I'm trying to do something in private! But what? It's not like I would ever take a leak in the hallway... _Finally, it hit him. After all, he had access to one of the hottest female Titans on Earth. So all he had to do was...

Victor stopped short when he reached the top of the staircase. Garfield's muscular arms were wrapped around a slender waist which belonged to the resident half-demon. His hands circled around her curvy figure; one of them caressed her perfect ass, while the other was busy massaging her breasts. Rachel's legs were firmly locked around the changeling's hips, and her arms draped loosely on his shoulders.

The android was in shock. His camera eye completely shut off, and his sonic-cannon arm ceased to function. He watched as Garfield lovingly pulled Rachel into a long, passionate kiss that seemed to last forever.

* * *

Garfield was beginning to enjoy this, but he knew that it was a sick and wrong thing to do. His left eye cracked open, and he could see Victor at his side, jaw slack with his arms hanging on either side. _When is he going to leave?_ the shape shifter wondered, leaning forward and twisting Rachel's long, violet hair gently around his hand. _Better kick it up a notch..._

He dropped both hands to Rachel's ass, gave a tight squeeze, and began to move his hips slowly back and forth, his stomach hitting hers every few seconds. Increasing his speed, he gripped Rachel's arms tightly and bucked his hips faster. The Azarathian's eyes were still closed, and her head was tilted back at a dramatic angle in what seemed to be pleasure. _I really hope this looks like what I'm aiming for..._ Lifting one hand, he ran his fingers slowly along the edge of Rachel's black leotard. _Come on already! I thought you had a dirty mind, Vic!_ he thought desperately.

Sure enough, Victor backed away quickly, both eyes wide. "Uh, sorry BB," the robot squeaked. "Didn't mean to intrude..." He turned around and lumbered down the adjacent hallway, his left eye shielding his tomato-red face. Completely embarrassed, he tumbled into his bedroom, the heavy door sliding closed with a _shff_ noise.

"Finally!" Garfield gasped, his fingers shooting out of Rachel's leotard. "Sorry, Rae."

Rachel didn't respond, and the changeling remembered she was still freezing cold. _Damn, she was like a Popsicle when I was holding her..._ Picking the girl up bridal-style, he tiptoed past Richard, Kori, and Victor's room before arriving at the door labeled "Raven".

He soon realized he had no idea what the password to her bedroom was. Gently placing Rachel on the soft maroon carpeting, he hurriedly pulled his T-shirt off and covered Rachel's chest and upper arms with it. The shirt was covered with sweat from the invigorating exercise and embarrassments he had endured that night; but that was the least of his worries as he punched in every single combination of the words "books", "magic", "dark", "evil", and "death" that he could think of.

After trying "dark evil magic books of death", he finally gave up and tromped down the hallway with Rachel secure in his arms. Coming to his own bedroom door, he shifted his date to one shoulder, typed "green and purple" into the attached keypad, and carried Rachel into his bedroom.

* * *

Rachel awoke to bright lights. Squinting, her deep lavender eyes slowly adjusted to the rays of sunlight that shot through the small window into her face. Her eyes closed again, then quickly opened in shock. _Since when did I have tattered green curtains and a broken windowpane?_

She sat up quickly but felt a sharp pain in her right foot. "Ow!" She flopped back down into the bed again. _Which, by the way, had a pair of used underwear on the left post. Ew_.

Where was she, anyways? She glanced around the room: it was obviously set in the Tower and had the same general layout as hers, but it was incredibly filthy. It had a neon green beanbag where her black oak writing desk would be; a dresser which tilted slightly and had two drawers sticking out in place of her Gothic armoire; and a messily arranged bookshelf which was mostly empty, due to the massive ratio of books on the floor to books actually on the shelves, instead of her own wall of neatly composed books and enchanted paraphernalia. Absolutely everything was covered in a layer of dust and half-eaten junk food.

___Shit_. Rachel sized up the situation. _I am lying in Garfield Logan's bed with no shoes, socks, or bra on._ After all, what use was a C-cup when her everyday leotard had one built into it?_ And Azar knows where Gar is now. Not to mention I don't have any means of transportation, as I can't stand or even sit up, and my powers aren't working, thanks to being left out on the rooftop for an hour._

She was screwed.

* * *

**Well, there's Chapter 6 for you! Sorry it's so freaking short. Actually, it's more like Chapter 5 because Chapter 3 hardly qualifies as a chapter... I was just trying to hold you off until Chapter 4... so yeah. I also added some sort of lemon!**

**_Ryo: Anyways, bring me freeze-dried strawberries and I shall update once more!_**

**_Raven: (opens one eye) You mean "nevermore"._**

**_Beast Boy: Yeah, like in that weird poem you mean? It was in the book I gave Rae._**

**_Ryo: (grumbles) But I wanna update! If I replace "once more" with "nevermore", the readers are going to KILL ME!_**

**_Raven: (stalks off)_**

**_Beast Boy: Oh great, you made her mad. (follows Raven)_**

**_Ryo: Well okay then. Stay tuned for another chappie of "Not What You Expected"! (^.^)_**

_**"Quoth the raven: Nevermore." -Edgar Allen Poe**_

**I think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Whee! That was super fun~**

**Please send me a message if you have any further suggestions! I actually haven't gotten any right now. So if you PM me, I will most definitely consider whatever you have to say!**

**I haven't done this for three chapters, so many thanks to:**

_**xXLeolaXx: That's so true, I haven't updated in forever~ oh my gosh! I am genuinely sorry for the three-week long wait. Also, I didn't think anybody would actually go back and RE-READ the first chappie! OH MY GOSH! YOU'RE SO THOUGHTFUL! Or maybe you just expected more from me? Ah ha... just kidding. Thank you for reviewing!**_

_**Kaarlinaa: Don't worry! I have Chapter 6 in my Doc Manager ready to go! I'm hoping to get it up by tomorrow. Thanks so much!**_

_**BartWLewis: I'm sooo sorry! I just have this terrible habit of posting incredibly short chapters and then realizing they were too short, then trying to make up for it by writing a bajillion words in the next chappie... I'm sooo stupid. But thank you for your continued support!**_

**This next paragraph is a response to Bluedog197. It's actually a really funny anecdote involving supernatural activity in my very own House. If you're confused, just check the reviews for this story. One should pop up that starts with the words "DUDE YOU MUST BE FREAKING OUT". Read it -(^ ^)-**

_**Bluedog197: Okay, I listened for footsteps and I heard some freakishly loud thumping WHERE MY BEDROOM WOULD BE! So I grabbed my iPhone and stuck it in my back pocket but then it starting ringing, so I turned it on and the screen read **_**UNKNOWN CALLER ID_! I was like WDF?! So I ran into the kitchen and I was like "I NEED A FREAKING FRYING PAN! AND IT HAS TO BE CAST-IRON!" but I couldn't find any because my house is being remodeled right now so like, we have no cooking utensils or anything. I was like NOOOO! There's still actually some noise coming from upstairs... (shiver). I'm actually going to go get my eleven-year-old idiot of a brother right now and use him. As ghost bait. Please continue to support both my story and my life... you are totally my best friend right now._**

**By the way, I recently changed my name to Freeze Dried Strawberries, my favorite food of all time -(._.)- Sooo... you can just call me FDS now?**

* * *

_Shit_. Rachel sized up the situation. _I am lying in Garfield Logan's bed with no shoes, socks, or bra on._ After all, what use was a C-cup when her everyday leotard had one built into it?_ And Azar knows where Gar is now. Not to mention I don't have any means of transportation, as I can't stand or even sit up, and my powers aren't working, thanks to being left out on the rooftop for an hour._

She was screwed.

* * *

Garfield strolled down the corridor with a bowl of hot tofu broth in one hand and a glass of cherry-flavored cough syrup in the other. It was a beautiful day and the rising sun sent light through the huge windows lining the hallway, filling it with sunshine. _I wonder if Rachel is up yet,_ Garfield thought. _I hope she's_ okay._ She was really restless last night._

He shifted the glass of cough syrup to the other hand and punched in his keycode. The door smoothly slid open and he padded into the room. Rachel was in his bed, head resting on her angular elbows. She peered at him from beneath the blanket.

"Hey, you're awake!" The shape-shifter put Rachel's breakfast on his dresser and hopped over. "You feeling okay?"

Rachel tried to sit up and make eye-contact, but was again unsuccessful. _I feel like a dead fish_. "I'm fine, I guess." she deadpanned, still buried in the green comforter.

"Great! Let me go get your tofu soup..." Garfield walked to the dresser, retrieved the bowl of thick, steaming liquid, and headed back to the bed. Unfortunately, his overly-messy room had several disadvantages when holding spillable items. The changeling tripped over a pair of green Vans and stumbled backwards. His right shoulder blade hit the nearby bookshelf. "Ow!... Crap."

The present demoness hid a small laugh, but quickly composed herself. On his second attempt, Garfield stepped on a stray Sprite can, destroying both the aluminum can and any hopes he had had of preserving his pride. "What the hell!" he yelled at nobody in particular. In his temporary fit of rage, the changeling failed to notice his precious stuffed monkey, which was conveniently located in his direct pathway.

Rachel noticed first. "Gar, wait-" It was too late. Garfield's toe stubbed the bottom of the monkey, where the battery compartment was located. Unfortunately, it was a very old and hard, plastic battery compartment. "_Count with me! Count with me!_" the toy enthusiastically squealed.

"_1 banana..._"

"Shi... shitofu salad." He dropped the glass of cough syrup into Rachel's lap, while the steaming broth was gracefully deposited on her head. It cascaded slowly down her forehead, thoroughly soaking her violet hair to the roots.

"_2 bananas..._"

"Aaah!" Rachel sprung off the bed, but banged her injured ankle on the very rough and splintery object that was a desk chair. "Oh Azar-!" she wailed in pain, then promptly smashed into a stunned Garfield.

"_3 bananas!_" The stuffed monkey finished its short speech as Rachel toppled back onto the bed, the sticky red syrup all over her legs and cloak.

"Oh, _man_!" Garfield scrambled onto the bed in a valiant attempt to help his fellow Titan. "I am so, so, _SO _sorry!" He grabbed his pillow, tugged the forest-green cover off, and madly wiped at the cough syrup, which was quickly spreading. "I really hope this stuff doesn't stain..." _What the hell are you thinking, dude? She's totally pissed,_ _now__ you're screwed._

While Garfield tried to clean her clothes and legs, Rachel was rocking back and forth and holding her throbbing foot. Tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets, forming delicate patterns in the white liquid on her face. Garfield felt something wet on his hand and looked up, bewildered. _Was Rachel crying_? The silvery fluid issuing from her deep lavender eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"God, I'm so sorry..." He knelt down on the bed and pulled Rachel into a tight embrace. Despite the artificial odor of cherry-flavored medicine in the air, mixed with the salty smell of bean curd and tears on her face, the scent of Rachel's hair was still light, fragrant, and somehow mysterious. He eased her closer, her head buried in his chest.

_Was that lavender he smelled? I__t was intoxicating. __It was irresistible._

But he hated the way the smell of tears hung around them: warm and salty.

_It was bittersweet_._  
_

**_I can't stand to see you cry._**

**_I love you too much,_**

**_That's_**_** why.**_

Suddenly the door burst open.

A startled Rachel fell back into the bed, her knees still straddling Garfield's waist. The shape-shifter whipped his head around, arms halfway supporting the sorceress, and groaned.

_Not again!_

* * *

"What in the _world_, Garfield?!" Richard stood in the doorway. He gaped at the sight in front of him: even more chairs were knocked over and out of place than usual. Not _anything_ like his own neat and tidy living quarters. But even more disconcerting was the arrangement of genders before him._  
_

Rachel was on Garfield's bed, one arm folded over her chest and the other underneath her head. This wouldn't have concerned him very much; he probably wouldn't have done anything more than wonder. But Garfield was sitting on Rachel's _stomach_, his hands firmly set around her slender waist. It looked like he was pinning her down onto the bed by force.

There were two _major_ things wrong with the scene: a red splash of color between Rachel's legs which appeared to be... "Is that _BLOOD?!_" Richard bleated in disbelief. He quickly noticed the thick white substance that covered the Azarathian's face. "What the...?!"

"What?! Dude, we were having a _moment!_" Garfield screamed. "Get out, man!"

_A rather crude moment,_ Richard supposed. He realized he had crossed the line of personal privacy. "S-sorry! I'm sorry, okay?!" He slowly backed out into the hallway in a fashion identical to what Victor had done a few hours ago. "I just heard shouting and... and... uh..." The Boy Blunder ran out of things to say. "Uh... NO PDA!" He darted into his own room, which was across the corridor. Both doors slid closed, protecting the two embarrassed male Titans.

_Relief... he was gone._ Garfield plopped into the bed but quickly sat back up when he heard a muffled yelp. "Whoops, sorry." Out of all of the events he had endured over the past twelve hours, this one had to be the most humiliating. He aligned himself with the goddess-like girl sprawled out on the bed. "What a day, huh?" he casually remarked, both hands underneath his head.

"It's only ten past eight." Rachel replied weakly.

Garfield turned his head to the glow-in-the-dark digital alarm clock on his steel bedside table. It read _8:10_. "Oh, so is that what the 'past' means?"

The half-demon laughed softly. _How adorable. I remember his confused expression yesterday, when I told him it was twenty four to eleven._ "Yes, I believe it is the quantity of sixty-second proportions of which time has previously ventured. Unless you consider the alternate term commonly used, which of course refers to the increment of an hour left until the greater hand reaches twelve." she droned quietly, twirling a section of her thick violet tresses around her finger.

_Huh. Smart _and _beautiful_... Enchanted, Garfield rolled on his stomach until he was inches away from Rachel's left arm. "So hey," he breathed in what he thought was a sexy and manly voice, "est-ce tu veux jouer un petit charade, avec moi?" [1]

Rachel did a double take. _Surely he was not referring to..._ "Um... quel genre de jeu? [2]"

"Un tres amusant une... [3]" the changeling smoothly replied. _Cool as a cucumber. Now try saying that five times fast._

_Oh Azar._ "Pourriez-vous me montrer? [4]" Rachel purred. _Figure that one out. I used the continuum dialect of Old French... on purpose._

"Je vais savourer chaque moment. [5]"

_This can't be happening._

* * *

**_I liked that little French bit right there :3_**

**Actually I'm in French 1-2 in my freshman year, right now. I've picked up an alarming amount of the language in 8 weeks, using my textbook and prior knowledge _alone_. Aren't I sssmmmaaarrrttt?!**

**If you're wondering how Garfield knows French, he picked up a little bit while flirting with those boy-obsessed fangirls in Tokyo (don't ask); and as for Rachel, I figure she's fluent in Latin, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, German, Japanese, Greek, Korean, and Emoji (kidding)... let alone French.**

**It's the third most-spoken language in da world baby! I mean come on guys, I'm Vietnamese and I can speak it.**

**Anyways, here are the definitions:**

_**[1] "So hey, do you want to play a little game, with me?"**_

_**[2] "Um... what kind of game?"  
**_

_**[3] "A very fun one..."  
**_

_**[4] "Would you care to show me how?"**_

_**[5] "I will savor every moment of it."**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Heu heu, what does the fox say?** **-(^_^)-**

* * *

"Je vais savourer chaque moment."

_This can't be happening. This can't be happening._

* * *

_He'll savor every moment? Is that what he said?_ Rachel was shocked. _Where did he learn this shit, "The Pervy Baguette"?!_ "And I thought you were a virgin..." she breathed quietly, her eyes lowered.

_Uh oh. _"Uh, it was just a joke. I didn't mean it that way..." Garfield tried to make amends. "Please don't take it personally-"

Without warning, Rachel's deep purple eyes shot up and affixed themselves with his.

_What a gorgeous emerald color they are. How does Starfire keep her hands off of him? _Rachel pondered. _I'm relieved that she and Kitten are both after Richard at the moment._

Garfield was enchanted with the sorceress's own eyes. _What are the different ways to say purple? _he ruminated. _Violet, obviously... lavender too, and... fuschia? No way. Hmm. She has really long eyelashes. I bet that if she had the enthusiasm of Star, the number of people in her fan club would double. Triple, even... They make pretty patterns reflected against her eyes, almost as if they're gems... Oh, amethyst would be another one. Actually I think it's the perfect word._

He watched discreetly as Rachel unfolded her hand, from its place underneath her head, and reached down. _Man, her fingers are awfully close..._ His heart thumped wildly as the palm of her hand passed over his crotch-area, then slowed to normal when he realized she was trying to clean her uniform.

"I wish you hadn't picked cherry... it has the most pungent smell you could ever imagine." Rachel teasingly tugged Garfield's hair as she sat up and showed him the stain. It had spread all over her lower stomach and between her legs. The changeling felt the front of his pants form a rough tent as lust filled his eyes. _Why did I have to spill the stuff _all over_ her... female area?_ He pulled the comforter up to his chest, hiding his arousal._  
_

Suddenly, Rachel levitated off the bed and made contact with the low, slanted ceiling. "Ow!" She fell back down onto the mattress, which emitted a low _creak_. "Finally, I can float again." She glided to the mirror opposite of the dresser and gasped.

"What? What is it?" Garfield poked his head out from underneath the covers. "What's wrong?" he asked, detaching himself from the warm nest where Rachel had been lying and walking to the mirror.

"I look like I've been _raped_!" She gestured to her sticky, syrupy red inner thighs and the leftover tofu on her face, plastering strands of violet hair to her forehead and cheeks.

"What, how? You're a virgin, right?"

"That's not the point."

"...oh." Garfield trailed off. The cherry-flavored medicine looked a lot like blood, while creamy, white tofu broth bore a strange resemblance to... um... _  
_

"Wow. Uh."

"Do you think this is funny?" Rachel turned to look Garfield in the eye. She repeated her question, this time with a subtle but menacing bite. "Do you really?" Immediately switching to mind-reading mode, she delved into the changeling's mind and waited for him to answer.

"N-no, Rae! Not funny at all!" Garfield stammered. He looked straight into Rachel's huge eyes, which were strangely glossed over as if she had lost interest in the conversation, and continued. "I was just wondering about Richard's reaction, and I really don't think sex qualifies as 'PDA'..."

_He isn't lying_. Rachel relaxed. _What a cutie_. "Okay..." she replied slowly and deliberately. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"S-s-sorry! I'm sssooorrrrrryyy!" Garfield fell to his knees and moved his green arms up and down, worshipping the demoness. _I hope she doesn't kill me! That would be bad, because I haven't eaten breakfast yet and I haven't asked her out._

"I accept your apology." There was a touch of laughter in her voice, and Garfield tentatively raised his eyes to see Rachel sitting on his bed, a small smile on her face. _She looks best with a smile. It suits her._

* * *

"So, where were we?" Garfield plopped back down onto the bed, next to Rachel. "Ah, yes... le petit charade."

"If you didn't mean sex..." Rachel tilted her head anxiously. "What? Monopoly? Life?" _Please, not Candy Land. Anything but Candy Land._

"Fortune-telling!" Garfield giggled, leaning over Rachel's lap (and getting a great deal of cherry cough medicine on his T-shirt as he did so) and plucking a small scrap of paper from his steel bedside table. Rachel watched as Garfield turned the wrinkled paper over, mumbling something, then refolded the paper into a strange, symmetrical shape.

Rachel took the paper and examined it curiously. "So... this is supposed to tell the future?"

"_What?!_" Garfield exclaimed loudly. "You've never had your fortune told by one of these thingymajiggers?" The Azarathian giggled lightly and shook her head, her back-length hair swinging from side to side. "Well, let me show you how to play!" He slipped his thumbs and forefingers into the four pockets that the paper created.

"Pick a number." he said, holding the fortune-teller out in front of her.

Rachel mulled over her options: _1, 2, 3, 4_. _What did it matter?_ Still, she pointed to the 3, as she wanted to please Garfield. He opened and closed the fortune-teller. "1, 2, 3! Now pick a color!" he exclaimed, holding it out to her again. _Blue, red, green, yellow_. Rachel pretended to think deeply before touching the blue triangle with her small finger.

"B-L-U-E... aaannnddd we have a winner!" Garfield sing-songed, flicking the folded-over paper up dramatically and placing the fortune-teller onto Rachel's lap for both of them to see.

_**A green boy will ask you out today. Be prepared.**_

* * *

**"Go brush your teeth, honey. It's 10:00, honey. Get ready for beddy, honey."**

**Azarath... metrion... ZINTHOS! There, now my dad is gone and I can conclude this chapter.**

**I hope you liked the fortune-teller thingy.**

**_Actually, I got the idea today when a boy I met at the beginning of the year came up to me during break and was like "You want your fortune told?" I was like "Okay..." and he did the little thingy, you know, with the fortune-teller._**

**_Well, let me tell you something. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE FORTUNE TRIANGLES READ: "WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?"._**

**_I was like "Seriously?" and he was like "Oh, will you? Please?" and then he gave me a rose and started to sing "That's What Makes You Beautiful" and I was like "Dude, that's pathetic, go get a haircut and save the rose for homecoming or something." and he was like "Oh." and I was like "...God damn, boy. Don't you have a life?"_**

**Yeah. There goes today's little anecdote. Which is actually true... except... it... isn't... funny.**

**Anyways, next chapter will most likely be published... this weekend, at the latest.**

**FDS -(^_^)-**

**_"WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?!" -Ylvis_  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm beating myself for not updating sooner! And when the Sprint dude comes over to check out our Wi-Fi, I'm gonna pummel him to a pulp for leaving us without Internet for a whole two weeks. Yano what I mean? You Sprint dudes, brace yourselves for the powerful wrath of the 85-pound thirteen year old freshman that is me.**

**Anyways, I'm totally psyched. I love knowing that people read my writing and actually enjoy it so much that they put it a review! You guys make me feel so warm and fuzzly inside -(^_^)- ****But... on a more serious note, I've been getting numerous PM's asking about my gender... yeah FYI... I'm sort of a girl... I hope you've figured that out by now... I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I mean seriously guys. What kind of boy uses the -(^_^)- emoti?**

**And to all of you that have actually read this far... I love you so much. I know the first few chappies were a total bore. Sorry about that.**

* * *

_THWACK!_

"Ow, what was that for?!" Garfield rubbed his head where Rachel had smacked it. "Owowow."

Rachel blushed. "You surprised me..." Her pale pink lips formed a small heart as she pouted cutely.

"Sorry." The shape-shifter found himself apologizing. _How does she do that? She should be sorry._ Rachel could really impress him sometimes. "So do you believe in fortune-tellers now?" he questioned Rachel, his head at a cocky angle.

"No." Rachel could almost feel the tiny green hairs on Garfield's arm as she leaned closer, her violet locks brushing against his shoulder.

Garfield inhaled sharply; his animal senses were picking up Rachel's scent. It was a lovely mixture of lavender, brown sugar, and rain. The half-demon's aroma transfixed him, and he turned his head to gaze into his love's eyes. "Why?"

Rachel ran her tongue over her lower lip. She decided to further complicate Garfield's ulterior motives. "I don't know any green boys with the balls to ask me out..." Her voice was soft, throaty, and inviting as she met the changeling's jade-green eyes mischievously.

Two could play at this game. Luckily, the sorceress had a certain air about her that turned him on, and he needed that for his next line: "Are you sure? I mean..." It was Garfield's turn to grin devilishly as he yanked the covers aside, leaped up onto his bedside table, and struck a ridiculously provocative pose, his manhood protruding out in front of him. "These sure look like balls to me."

Rachel's jaw dropped open, and she tried desperately not to look at the shape-shifter's obvious erection. Eventually, her amethyst eyes bore into his own. "I suppose you must have balls if you're willing to display your sexual excitement to the entire population." She picked up a bright green throw pillow and gently chucked it at him.

Garfield caught the pillow with one hand and shoved it between his legs, chuckling as he sat back on the bed. "So you'll go out with me?"

The Azarathian stared at him, considering. _There's no reason not to..._ "I'll... think about it." she stated shortly, rising from the bunk bed and making her way to the bedroom door with a heavy limp on her left leg. "I have to change. Today is Waffle Sunday, so I'm not skipping breakfast."

"Sorry about your foot. What are you going to tell Robin?" Garfield asked, his full attention on Rachel's injured ankle.

"It'll heal."

* * *

Rachel dug through her closet, looking for any article of clothing that wasn't her usual leotard and cloak combination. Now that Garfield's feelings about their relationship had been confirmed, she felt much more self-conscious about her appearance.

Finally she unearthed a gray leather chest lined with royal blue velvet, which upon further investigation held an assortment of vintage clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories. "Gosh, Star would go berserk over this." the sorceress thought aloud, holding up a magenta baby-doll shirt with a white sequined heart on the front. "Come to think of it, I haven't talked with her in a long time, let alone spend 'girl time' with her..."

Picking her communicator up from its place on her Victorian side table, Rachel seated herself on the black wrought-iron chair in the corner and flipped the device open. "Star, it's Rachel. How do you feel about a... couture party?"

There was a long period of chatter on the other side of the line, and Kori's loud enthusiasm and squeals could be heard. "Couture.. no, not _cuter_, couture... like fashion?" Another pregnant pause. "Actually, it's not exactly an Earth tradition..." Kori seemed to be highly confused, as Rachel had to repeat several phrases over again. "Bottom line being, I just found some clothes in an old trunk in my closet, and I was wondering if you'd like to come and try some on. I'll order pizza, and um... we could even invite Bee over if you'd like?" Rachel offered, pursing her lips and blowing her messy bangs up from her forehead, an age-old habit. There was a brief silence. "Okay, that sounds great. Monday night, then?... Yes. Alright. Goodbye."

Rachel pressed _END CALL_ and clicked her communicator closed with a small sigh. "Somebody's excited for Monday." She remarked, then suddenly remembered the sticky medicine all over the uniform she was currently wearing. "Ugh. Time to shower." She gingerly picked herself up from the chair and floated to the bathroom.

* * *

**I know, I know... short chappie. But I couldn't bear the suspense, yano.**

**And our _Question Of The Day_ is…**

**Would you rather receive a new chapter, every few days, that is moderately short; or would you rather receive a new chapter, every week or so, that is nice and long?**

**I will be taking the first five reviews (regarding this question) into consideration. In other words, if you are one of the first five people to give me your opinion on this question, it will count!**

**_"Reach for the stars. If you're lucky, you will make contact with the sun and liquify at an alarming rate." -FDS_**


End file.
